Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for an eArc of this book. “Serpent Sea” is the second installment in the Spice Road Trilogy by Maiya Ibrahim. It picks up right after the events of the first book. However, this second book adds another Pov which surprised me, but I then realized the importance of it to tie in with Imani’s pov. This tale is just as filled with adventure, family and romance! There is further world-building and explaining of the confounding magic system–all is not as it seems! The author will definitely keep you on your toes. The end of the book was unexpected and I suspect that book 3’s adventure will be an unforgettable ride!

3.5/5 ⭐️

Serpent Sea picks up soon after Spice Road ends and continues the immersive adventure we find ourselves in during book 1. As we continue to follow Imani, Taha, and their not quite so merry band of fighters, we learn even more about the world they occupy. I especially love the way Ibrahim uses the plot to unravel even more the lands outside of Qalia as well as the backstory to the world as a whole. It is one of the few second books that not only moves the story forward, but also deepens both the magical system and the world building. Imani’s growth and awareness around the way class impacts other people’s lives continues and it’s interesting to see how the impact of colonization becomes a part of that growth. If you enjoyed Spice Road, you’ll enjoy Serpent Sea and hopefully will also look forward to book 3.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s | Delacorte Press for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed Spice Road. It was a very unique story, with a magic system that I had never seen before. So, I was very excited to read Serpent Sea. Unfortunately, Serpent Sea seems to have fallen pray to the typical second book syndrome. The story jumped around in weird places that did not make sense, leading to many weird time jumps that didn’t seem possible. The redeeming factor was the characters growth, which continued from Spice Road in a beautiful way. I will admit, both endings made me think, “Really…” but, I’m sure I will still read the conclusion. If you enjoyed the Spice Road, definitely pick this up! 3⭐️

I quite enjoyed book one, Spice Road. I couldn’t wait to jump on this one and find out what happens next. I was hoping that there would be more in this book. Just more more more. And there certainly was!

This book picks up where the last one left off. Out of the sands and into the waters! The action is high, with a side of love triangle. There’s a new POV, lots of characters, new adventures and more monsters.

🌊 heavy on plot
🌊 strong character development
🌊 love triangle
🌊 monsters
🌊 slow burn

The overall vibes of the setting and the characters themselves are what drew me into these books. And I love the way the author represents them. Perfect for fans of the brass city books!

Spice Road was a beautiful and gripping five star fantasy about warrior Imani finding her brother. Serpent Sea is a sequel that surpasses it's predecessor in nearly every way. Even more intense action and unforgettable characters, I loved this book from the first page to the last. Please don't make us wait as long for the next one!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy to review

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an amazing sequel! I love the atmosphere of this world and loved every second of this book.

A wonderful continuation to a fascinating series! The lush worldbuilding and wonderful character interactions carry a marvelous story, one that left me on the edge of my seat the entire time! Can hardly wait for the final installment to bring this story to a close! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I've been waiting for this book for so long and good gravy! It didn't disappoint. My only beef with it is that I wanted MORE. I didn't want it to end, but also I had to know how it ended, and now I'm already back to suffering waiting for the next one.

Dazzling, wondrous, and bursting with magic, SERPENT SEA is fantasy perfection. It delivers all of the adventure and romance that made SPICE ROAD so unputdownable, and more. As far as I’m concerned, Maiya Ibrahim can do no wrong.

Yes yes and more yes! I was swept away by the first book- but the second has taken my heart. I am in love with this book from the writing styles to the characters.

I enjoyed the first book and, I enjoyed the second one as well. The characters are interesting; the plot was engaging. I will purchase this for my high school library.

I love the sense of magic and adventure in the author's novels. It really provides a vivid escape from the tortures of reality. Highly recommend for fans of adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this book and it is a great follow up on book 1. This world is so interesting and I am glad to see it expanded. The characters are great and I enjoyed seeing the progression of their stories. I cannot wait for the third book to see where this story ends!

What a great book to follow up Spice Road! I loved Spice Road so I jumped on the opportunity to request this the second I seen it, and it did not disappoint.
This storyline was fast paced and I loved the dual POV we were given. I also enjoyed seeing how Imani and Taha’s relationship continued through their journey in Serpent Sea. Moving on to Qayn, he was a favorite of mine in book one so it was nice getting to learn a bit more about him in book two.

I absolutely loved the first book in the series and I was so happy to read this book and I was not disappointed. The world building and writing in this book was top tier. I would highly recommend this series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Maiya Ibrahim, and the publishers for allowing me access to the e-Arc

4.5 stars

I thought this was an amazing second installment in the series. There was so much going on that I didn’t expect. The love triangle definitely is stronger in this one. But what I loved was the plot and problems really picked up making it hard to put down. Please, give this series a chance.

I highly recommend it!

This book was such an exciting read! I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to read more from this author. The plot was fast paced and was never boring. The characters were interesting and unique which made the story really enjoyable for me. Great read!

✨ “There is nothing inherently evil about darkness. Even the light can burn if it shines too brightly.”

- Serpent Sea (by Maiya Ibrahim) 🏹🌊🐍


Ever since reading (and LOVING) “Spice Road” over a year ago, I’ve been desperately waiting for the sequel, “Serpent Sea”. So, when the approval email showed up in my inbox from Netgalley, it FLOORED me! I’m still in disbelief! 😭😂

And as expected, I had SUCH a good time reading “Serpent Sea”! I loved being back with these familiar characters in this Arab-inspired fantasy world that’s filled with enchantment, monsters, and long buried mysteries.

This book takes the characters far beyond the magic of the Swallowing Sands, through a treacherous sea, and into foreign enemy lands - in a desperate mission to save their home from that invading hostile force.

The dual-POV in the book lets us also see through the eyes of a character who is very different from Imani - but who, like Imani in book 1, goes through a challenging emotional journey. And I love dual-POV’s because they can allow us to be in more than one place at once, and that worked so well here.

The book also takes the discussion of colonialism and prejudice a step further, offering a clear-eyed view of its brutalities and deceptions. At the same time, the writing shows a complex nuance in its flawed and very human characters.

Beyond that, the book grips you with escalating suspense, unraveling secrets, familiar and new characters, emotional tension, glorious mythical monsters… and all of that culminating in an exhilarating climactic sequence that has all the magic, peril, and twists I could ask for in a Fantasy novel! 😍

And as in the first book, the authentic Arab rep in a Fantasy book (my fav genre) fills my heart with so much joy! 🥹

Serpent Sea is out Nov 19 🌊⚔️

I absolutely loved spice road so when I saw this was up for requests I jumped on it!

This picks up right where book 1 finished and it’s awesome!

Imani and the whole cast are back but this time we got tahas POV too

It’s full of action packed adventure, battles ,romance and magic!

I think people are going to love this continuation of the spice road story

A proper continuation of the Spice Road brings readers to the Serpent Sea. This sequel picks up just where its predecessor left off, but in this book, we get a second perspective. Joining Imani in telling the story is Taha, though not necessarily taking turns as the majority is still told thru Imani's view. Again we find that there is a quest, this time for the jewels of Qayn’s lost crown to restore his magic. We also get to learn a little more about Qayn along the way. There are sea voyages, a contest of survival that briefly had a low-tech Hunger Games feel, family drama, and the continuation of the warm-cold romance that was started in the first book. Some history is shared that helps explain the nature of their world and magic throughout the book but definitely left with the feeling of an all will be explained in the last book of the trilogy. One nice thing about this series has been that there is a definite quest contained within each book rather than sow some YA duologies trilogies break up a single plot and end each book as soon as they get to a cliffhanger. But then, there is also an overarching plot that ties the series together and each quest (or book) has revealed breadcrumbs that direct the characters to the next quest, the next story. Readers who enjoyed Spice Road will be eager to see how Imani and Taha's story continues and those that haven't read the first book of the trilogy, but enjoy adventures in exotic locations with a bit of magic and a slow-burn love-hate romance should give it a try.
I received advanced access to this ARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.